Room & Board
by ColorOfAngels
Summary: What if instead of being arrested in Altanta, Rhett escaped and took refuge at Tara?
1. The Boarder

A/N Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at Gone With the Wind fan fiction even though I have been a fan of both the book and movie for years (I think I read it the first time in the 4th grade) I've been writing Harry Potter fics for about a year now but I just got into GWTW fics about a month ago...This is a what if picking up right after the war while Scarlett is still at Tara...I play with the time line a little bit on certain events to make the plot work, but nothing to drastic, and after all that's why it's a what if right? So enough from me and I hope you all enjoy!!

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Scarlett collapsed heavily, exhausted from a hard days work, on the second to top step that the porch of Tara provided. Leaning wearily against one of the once majestic white columns she released the top couple buttons of her dress to allow herself to breathe easier. It was only May, but the weather already was bordering on stifling, even at dusk.

As the sun set over the much beloved land, she closed her eyes and she could almost imagine that she was sixteen again. For a precious moment, she was no longer simply sitting outside on the porch steps at dusk because she was desperately searching for a retreat from the hardships that continued to plague her every waking moment, even though the war had ended a few weeks ago. No, she was sitting outside because she was instead so caught up in flirting with one of her many beaus, that she had simply "forgotten" herself and stayed outside much too late. She was almost expecting Mammy to come bursting through the front door any moment, prepared to scold both her and her suitor.

As she sat back and absorbed the residual warmth that was radiating off the bricks from the long hot day, she could almost hear the hoof beats of Pa's horse, as he traveled back home from an afternoon at one of the neighboring plantations, full of news and stories to tell over dinner.

Wait, she thought as her eyes flew open, _I'm not imagining that, those are hoof beats! _She stood hurriedly, quickly spotting a man riding up the driveway causing her stomach drop to her feet and her heart rise to her throat. Her breath quickened as she knew that no one she knew these days had a horse that fine and from this distance all she could make out was a dark blue coat. 

She straightened her back and squared her jaw as she calmly reached into her pocket for the gun that she always kept on her person since she was forced to shoot that Yankee deserter. The rider was backlit by the setting sun, so she was unable to make out his face as he dismounted the horse and causally made his way towards her.

"Stop right there," Scarlett commanded, raising the pistol. "I've shot your kind before for setting foot on this land, I won't hesitate to do it again."

Scarlett was surprised when the response she received from her declaration was a deep throaty laugh that she knew all too well.

"Is this how you always greet old friends?" a Charlestonian drawl, that belonged to one Rhett Butler, asked.

"God's nightgown Rhett!" Scarlett exclaimed, lowering the gun as she raised her other hand to her rapidly beating heart. "You're lucky I didn't shoot you, showing up at this time of night, and in a blue overcoat no less."

Rhett laughed again at her scolding. "My sincerest apologies for frightening you my pet," he said with a deep bow that proved he was anything but sorry. "I should have had the foresight to see what kind effect my appearance would have on a delicate lady such as yourself."

"Oh hush Rhett," Scarlett admonished, "before I change my mind and shoot you anyways. And don't think you wouldn't deserve it on principle, I haven't forgotten how you abandoned me that night."

"Abandoned?" Rhett laughed once again. "Hardly, I had every faith in you that you could and would make it home unscathed. And see, here you are all in one piece, proving that I was right."

Scarlett was ready to retaliate with some sort of biting remark, perhaps something about being sorry a cannon didn't land on him, but then decided she was too tired to battle with him and instead decided to simply sit back down and rest her aching back against the pillar.

Rhett noticed her change of heart and was surprised when she didn't take his bait as he moved to sit down on the porch a few steps below her, thankful to be able to stretch his long legs after the long, hard, impromptu ride out of Atlanta. They sat in silence for a long moment before Scarlett turned and looked at him as if she was just now realizing that he was actually there at Tara.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly puzzled.

"Can't a gentleman check up on the welfare of the lady he, how did you phrase it, abandoned, so many moons ago?" Rhett asked with mock sincerity.

Scarlett laughed cynically as she raised her arms above her head and arched her back in a futile attempt to relieve some of the soreness, but also, having forgotten about her open buttons, unknowingly giving Rhett an eyeful. "As if you actually care what happened to me. I might believe that if I didn't know you and believed that you are a gentleman, but you're not, just as I am no lady, as you so love to point out. No Rhett, tell me the real reason you have appeared so suddenly on my doorstep."

Rhett cringed inwardly at how hollow her laugh had become and also at the fact that she was both right and wrong on her assumptions. She was wrong in thinking that he didn't care about her welfare. There were many a night when he had lain awake, surrounded by sleeping soldiers while he berated himself leaving her like he did. When he rebuked himself for not taking her all the way home to Tara and at least making sure that it was still standing, before leaving her to fend for herself amongst two armies. The shocked and betrayed look on her face when he told her that she was leaving her haunted him throughout his turn as a confederate soldier. If something had happened to her, he never would have forgiven himself. He couldn't recall a time that he had been more relieved than he had been just a few moments ago when he saw that Tara still standing and Scarlett was sitting on the porch. However, she was right in believing that his concern for her wasn't the only reason for his unexpected arrival.

"Well, my pet," he began lightly, "I see that I am utterly transparent to your keen observations, so I will tell you the real reason I am here. It seems that I actually find myself here after a harrowing, but very exciting escape from Atlanta."

"Escape from whom?" she asked with honest curiosity.

"Why, the very Yankees that you mistook me for earlier this evening."

"I don't understand, the War is over, why are the Yankees after you?"

"Well you see my dear Mrs. Hamilton," Rhett said leaning towards her conspiratorially, "for some reason, the Yankees are under the belief that I am somehow in possession of the Confederate gold."

"Are you?" Scarlett asked breathlessly, leaning in to meet him.

"Am I what?" Rhett asked back, also leaning in further so that they were only inches apart.

"Do you have the Confederate gold?"

"What a leading question Mrs. Hamilton," Rhett teased, as he sat back in his previous lounging position.

Scarlett blushed, but didn't back down. "Well it's an honest question Rhett and regardless, I still don't see how any this has anything to do with me or your presence here."

"Fair enough," Rhett laughed. "Let's just say that I have enough gold, regardless of who it once belonged to, to catch the Yankees' interest. Enough interest in fact, that they wanted to arrest me in hopes of getting their greedy Union hands on my vast wealth, which is what they had hopes of accomplishing today. I was planning on making my escape to Charleston, and then hop a ship to England and wait for this to blow over in Europe, but they somehow caught wind of that idea and were staking out the train station, waiting for me. So my only other alternative to jail, was to ride out of Atlanta, and since I find prison air oppressive, here I am. And I can't think of a more pleasant place, with more amiable company than here, that I would like to be harbored."

"Well, you are going to have to think of one Rhett, because you can't stay here. I will let you stay the night because it was such a long ride from Atlanta, but you are going to have to leave in the morning," Scarlett told him firmly.

"Aww, surely you still not that sore for what happened at Rough and Ready when we last parted," Rhett asked with practiced indifference, but also a bit disconcerted by her declaration.

"No Rhett, it's just that as the head of this household, I am responsible for the welfare of everyone residing here. And it is my duty as such to keep them from as much harm as possible. I will not give the Yankees any excuse to come through here and turn our lives upside down and rip apart everything that I have worked so hard to build. I wont let it happen, not again, not even for you Rhett."

Rhett couldn't help but take note of the fierce look of pride, power, determination, but also fear that shone through her emerald eyes, despite the dim light. He was curious about the way she phrased her words, but decided not to press her about them now, he knew he would find out in time.

"You don't have to worry Scarlett," Rhett assured her, without the slightest trace of his usual sarcasm. "As far as the Yankees are concerned, I have no connection to you and they have absolutely no reason to even think about looking for me here. I assure you that I wouldn't have come here if it was going to put you or your family in danger."

Scarlett didn't seem convinced, but she seemed to be softening. "You promise?" she asked after a moment.

"I promise," Rhett reassured her.

Scarlett considered this for another moment before finally making a decision. "Alright then, you may stay. However, as I am sure you have already assessed, we are not in any condition to entertain guests, so if you are going to stay here you are going to have to earn your keep," she said getting right down to business.

"Alright Scarlett," Rhett laughed. "I promise I will earn my room and board. You wont be sorry you let me stay."

"Well, we will see about that," Scarlett said doubtfully, with a single raised eyebrow, causing Rhett to laugh again. She stood and dusted off her skirt, "Come on now, dinner should be almost ready and I have to tell Dilcey to place another setting. And I'm sure Melly and Wade will be thrilled to see you."

Without waiting for a response she turned and walked into the house leaving Rhett no choice but to follow after her. Right before he stepped over the threshold he couldn't help but pause and wonder for a moment just what he was getting himself into.

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A/N So what did you all think? Is it worth me continuing? If you tell me it is I will try to update as much as I can...the only thing is that I also have three Harry Potter fics going and I tend to write whatever I have inspiration for (If you like Harry Potter you might want to check those out while you wait) and I'm also in college in a really intense Architecture program so sometimes it gets in the way of my writing time... 


	2. The Room

Scarlett moved easily and quickly through the hastily darkening house, not giving Rhett much opportunity to take in his surroundings. She did not care to look behind her to make sure that Rhett was keeping up, but she had no doubts that he was. She only paused to look at him once they had reached the kitchen, where they stood just inside the door, affording him a moment to silently observe its occupants.

His eye was first drawn to Mammy and another woman, that he assumed was the Dilcey that Scarlett had referred to, hovering over the hearth making some kind of soup. Melanie's back was to him as she tended to two small children, with opposite complexions. Two girls, that Rhett assumed were Scarlett's sisters, were sitting at the table shelling peas. One of the girls seemed very put out by the task and by the scowl that was placed soundly across her countenance, Rhett deduced that this must be Suellen, and he could already see why Scarlett didn't get along with her sister. The other girl, who upon closer inspection was clearly the younger of the two and who by process of elimination must be Careen, had Wade, who was helping to shell peas, sitting on her lap. A man, who Rhett would later find out was Pork, was sitting in the corner patching an old bucket while Gerald was sitting by himself staring out the window.

Wade was the first to look up when he heard his mother's footsteps and his eyes grew wide with excitement when he saw that she wasn't alone. "Uncle Rhett!" the little boy cried, jumping from his aunt's lap and running over to him.

"Well hello there Wade," Rhett said, automatically picking him up. "My you have gotten big."

"Look Momma," Wade said, twisting around in Rhett's arms to look at his mother, "Uncle Rhett is here."

Scarlett chuckled lightly as she reached out smooth the hair of the boy that she was now no longer unhappy to claim as hers. No one was more surprised than her when she had found herself growing closer to her son in recent months.

It had all started after he had expressed his desire, in his own four year old way, to help around Tara any way he could. Originally she had simply given him something to do to keep him out from underfoot, but watching him working so diligently on his small task made Scarlett realize for the first time that maybe there was some of her own determination and gumption in her son. He looked so much like Charles that she had always, if not incorrectly, assumed that he was like his father in every way. The realization that he might have her personality suddenly endeared her son to her as she praised him when he finished his job. Unused to his mothers praise and attention and eager to get more, Wade was no longer following her around trying to hide in her skirts, but instead asking what he could do to help and working hard on whatever small task Scarlett felt he and his attention span was capable of.

She had found it awkward at first, but the more she got to know her son, the more she saw herself in him and subsequently the more fond she became of him. There had been times in the past months when Wade's presence was the only company she could stand. She knew she was still far from the perfect mother as she still occasionally lost her temper, but now hugs and kisses generally came more often than snaps and yells.

"I know Wade," Scarlett said with a fond smile, "he is going to be staying here with all of us for a while. Would you like that?"

Wade nodded happily, and Scarlett looked around the room to see everyone else's reactions. Suellen was scowling as usual, Careen looked as if she didn't know what else to think, Dilcey and Pork simply took Scarlett's word as law as she was the head of house, Gerald hadn't even noticed, and Mammy's bottom lip was pushed out quite far clearly showing her disapproval of a man, especially one of Rhett's reputation, staying in a house full of unmarried women.

Ever the peace maker, Melly saw this immediately and while she wasn't sure if it was proper either, backed up whatever decision her beloved sister in law made and stood to greet their guest. "It's a pleasure to see you again Captain Butler, now I can finally thank you properly for helping us out of Atlanta."

"No, the pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Wilkes and I really don't deserve any thanks," Rhett responded respectfully.

"Well, I thank you just the same and I know that I for one will sleep much more comfortably knowing we have a man in the house," Melly announced, with a glance at Careen and Suellen.

Careen took Melanie's approval as a sign to relax, but Suellen still continued to look as if she had just taken a rather large spoonful of castor oil. Scarlett had no doubts that she would still be hearing from Mammy later, but she was thankful to have Melly's support.

"Prissy," Scarlett addressed the girl who had just walked in from the dinning room, "Go set another place at the table for Captain Butler."

If the girl was surprised by Rhett's presence or Scarlett's order, she didn't show it as she silently turned around to walk back into the dinning room with a knowing look on her face. She more than anyone knew of the relationship that existed between the two of them in Atlanta during the war. Servants always did know more about what was going on under the roof in which they served than they were willing to admit, and she was also the only one who bore witness to the good bye the couple shared that night on the road to Rough and Ready.

An uneasy silence reigned throughout the kitchen, only the babies continued to coo happily, unaware of the awkwardness felt by the adults. Luckily the silence was short lived as it wasn't long before Dilcey announced that dinner was ready and everyone moved into the dining room.

"We must wait for Mrs. O'Hara," Gerald announced when they sat down at the table.

The tension in the room, already thick, became even denser as everyone looked to Scarlett, whose shoulders slumped slightly at her father's words.

"Pa," Scarlett began gently, as if she was talking to Wade, not her father, "Mother sent word earlier that she would be late and to go ahead and begin without her. Why don't you sit down now so Melly can say grace."

Gerald didn't seem happy about this, but sat down obediently and everyone quickly bowed their heads as Melanie began the prayer. Rhett took advantage of the time to observe Scarlett out of the corner of his eye. He had not failed to notice Gerald's lack of reaction when he entered the kitchen and Scarlett announced he would be staying with them, and everyone's reaction to his announcement about his wife was note-worthy as well. It was also apparent that Scarlett was lying just now, which only piqued his curiosity more as to where Mrs. O'Hara really was. It was one more question he added to his mental list of things to ask Scarlett about later.

Dinner began as an awkward affair with no one saying much as Rhett continued to watch Scarlett serve herself barely enough for her to survive on and give Wade what was obviously her share of dinner in addition to his own.

Well that explains why she is so thin, he thought to himself. 

Scarlett could feel Rhett's questioning gaze, but refrained from looking at him, knowing that he possessed the uncanny ability to read her thoughts and she wanted to keep just how bad things were away from him, if just for a while longer.

Rhett quickly took control of the conversation as he spun tales and made amusing anecdotes out of his time in the army. The tension lessened as he charmed the occupants of Tara as only he could. He made sure that he was a model house guest, keeping the conversation light and comfortable, easily steering it in a different direction if it happened to veer towards unpleasant topics, all the while keenly observing the other diners and the way they interacted with each other. Especially Scarlett, always Scarlett.

She had barely uttered a syllable after speaking to her father, letting the others answer Rhett's polite questions, only speaking softly to Wade as she helped him with his meal. She kept her eyes down as she slowly ate her almost non existent dinner, making it difficult for Rhett to read her always expressive eyes. One thing was painfully clear however, this was not the same girl that he had last seen on the pass to Rough and Ready. Scarlett had changed, there was no question about that, the only mystery still to unravel was how much, and Rhett was determined to find the answer.

It didn't take long for the scant meal to disappear into hungry stomachs and the empty plates were soon cleared away.

"Momma, would you read me a story tonight?" Wade asked, as Mammy came to get him ready for bed.

"Only if you promise to be a good little man for Mammy," Scarlett replied, smoothing her sons hair. "Can you do that for me?"

Wade nodded eagerly, leaning forward to give his mother a kiss on the cheek before taking Mammy's hand to be led upstairs and prepared for bed.

Although he had noticed the change in the way Scarlett treated her son from the moment they had entered the kitchen earlier this evening, this seemingly common and unthinking show of love and affection from Wade surprised Rhett. The last time he had seen them, Wade had been terrified of his mother and spent most of his time trying to stay out of her way, not asking for bedtime stories. Rhett was contemplating this change as he watched Wade disappear with Mammy, when he heard Scarlett address him.

"Would you like me to show your room now Mr. Butler? You've had a long day and I am sure that you must want to get some rest," Scarlett said, being the hostess her mother taught her to be as she rose from her spot at the head of the table.

"I would appreciate that greatly Mrs. Hamilton," he replied respectfully, mindful of the rooms other occupants.

Scarlett simply nodded and motioned for him to follow her, pausing only momentarily to light a candle to guide their way. As he trailed her through the house and up the stairs, he once again took the opportunity to take in his surroundings as best he could.

"Here you are Rhett," Scarlett announced, opening a door at the end of the hall. "You're lucky, this is our last spare bedroom, if anyone else shows up we're going to have to start bunking people together," she joked lightly, placing the candle on the night stand.

"Well," Rhett responded with twinkling eyes, "if the situation should become that desperate, rest assured that I am willing to make the sacrifice and bunk with you."

"Or perhaps we could just move you out to the paddock with the rest of the animals," she countered making Rhett laugh. "I had Pork take care of your horse and bring in your belongings earlier, so you should find everything here and my room is right next door, knock if you need anything."

"I'll have to remember that piece of information," Rhett said with a smirk.

"Remind me again why I'm letting you stay here?" she asked with a sigh as she moved to the door.

"Because I am the only person that mentally stimulates you the way I can," he told her matter of factly.

"Well, I was just fine living without your kind of mental stimulation, thank you," she retorted smartly from the hallway. "Breakfast is at 6:30."

"Don't you need the candle?" Rhett asked as she started closing the door behind her.

"I think I know this house well enough to walk through it in the dark," she assured him with a half smile. "Besides, I'm just going down the hall to read Wade a bedtime story, I doubt I will loose my way."

They both stood silently for a moment as Rhett took in the room around him. It was clear that it had not been used in sometime and while the furnishings were clearly expensive, they showed a level of neglect. Bright color patches of color on the wall paper revealed that paintings had hung on the walls at one time. "Scarlett...?" Rhett began with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Goodnight Rhett," she interrupted, quickly making her escape, leaving only the clicking of the door mechanism behind her.


	3. She's Not Alright

Rhett didn't know how long he had been lying there staring at the ceiling unable to find the rest his tired body so craved as he listened to the ticking of his pocket watch on the nightstand. Although he was physically exhausted, his mind refused to slow enough for sleep to overtake him. He was replaying every moment with Scarlett from the moment he had first seen her resting on the front steps of Tara until she had bid him goodnight. As he flipped through his memories like a deck of cards he knew he was missing something, he was missing a piece of the puzzle, but he couldn't put his finger on what.

He was so deep inside his own mind he almost didn't hear it. He sat up and strained his ears not sure that he hadn't just imagined it when he heard it again. Someone, somewhere in the house was playing a piano. It was a slow haunting tune, one that pulled at the heartstrings, and he wanted to know who was playing.

He quickly threw on a shirt and glanced at his watch, absently noting it was just gone two in the morning. Padded barefoot down the stairs he made a careful effort to remain quiet. At the base of the staircase he paused, unsure of which way the sound was coming from. He quickly noticed the moonlight streaming onto the floor from the slightly open parlor door and peered inside the crack.

He wasn't completely surprised to see that it was Scarlett sitting at the piano, her back to him. She was bathed in moonlight in an otherwise dark room casting her in an almost ethereal glow. But the melancholy nature of her music created the illusion of a specter rather than the vibrant woman he knew her to be. He lingered in the doorway listening to her play, remaining silent even after her fingers stilled and the music faded into the night.

"This was my mother's piano as a child," Scarlett said suddenly as she ran her fingers gently along the discolored ivory keys. "She brought it with her from Savannah when she married Pa."

Rhett was surprised when she spoke, having no idea that she was aware of his presence.

"She insisted that all three of us take lessons growing up," she continued, not breaking her gaze with instrument in front of her, "and I hated every minute of it. I would have much rather been outside riding with Pa or climbing trees and later flirting with the county boys. But I stayed inside and practiced everyday from when I began my lessons at eight until I turned fifteen because I wanted her approval. I so badly wanted her to be proud of me."

"Well, I'm sure she is," he said softly, speaking for the first time as he moved further into the room, not stopping until he was standing next to her. "That was beautiful."

"She used to play that song for me when I was a little girl and it used to make me cry, but that would never stop me from requesting she play it for me. I thought it was the sound that the angels made when they were sad." She looked up at him for the first time since he entered the room. "What a silly little girl notion, don't you think? A song making me so sad I cried."

Rhett searched her face and sad eyes for a moment as he sat down next to her on the piano bench. "I don't think it's so silly," he said after a moment. "Music is supposed to touch your soul."

Scarlett didn't answer as she continued to caress the keys lovingly.

"Scarlett," Rhett prodded gently, "where is your mother?"

"She's dead," Scarlett said bluntly as she reached out and shut the cover over the keys with a bang.

"I'm so sorry Scarlett," he said sincerely as she confirmed what he had inferred. "What happened?"

"She was dead when I got here," she told him as unemotional as before. She stood and crossed from the piano to the window looking out onto the darkened landscape. "She had died the day before we arrived."

"Oh Scarlett, that must have been terrible," Rhett sympathized, uneasy with how coldly she relayed these harsh facts and how blank her eyes were. "Are you alright?"

Scarlett turned and looked at him with a queer look in her eyes that Rhett was unsure how to decipher.

"You know that you are the first person to ask me that?' she said quietly. "I came home to find that the Yankees had used the house as headquarters and had taken or burned everything, my sisters still sick with typhoid, Pa had gone crazy with grief, and my mother was dead. She was in this room, lying right there," she said gesturing to the space in front of her, as her emerald eyes filled with tears. "And nobody asked me if I was alright. They just assumed I was and that I would know how to handle everything. Everyone was looking at me for answers, everyone was looking at me to tell them what to do and I didn't know what to tell them. I didn't know."

The tears that had been threatening, began to pour down her pale cheeks and Rhett quickly moved across the room and took her into his arms, an embrace she easily went into.

"And I wasn't alright Rhett," she told him in between gasping sobs, "I just wanted my mother, I wasn't alright, I'm not alright."

Rhett gently guided her to the settee where he sat down, bringing her with him as he continued to hold her. He didn't tell her not to cry, or that everything happens for a reason or that everything would be alright, or say anything at all as useless platitudes were not what she needed at the moment. It was obvious to him that she had held in her emotions far too long and now all she needed was some comfort and someone to listen. He knew that a good cry wouldn't solve all her problems, but he hoped it would take some of the strain off of her.

"Melly and my sisters were so sick and there was Wade, Beau and Dilcey's baby to take care of and Pa was either crying over Mother or didn't even realize she had died or that there was even a war going on, all the servants were looking to me to tell them what to do, and there was no food or money and so much work to do and then the Yankees came again and they started a fire in the kitchen and I had to kill that Yankee deserter– "

"What?" Rhett interrupted her hysterical ramblings, pulling away slightly so he could see her face.

Scarlett nodded against his shoulder, "It was just me and Melly, who was still ill, in the house by ourselves when he came, so I got the pistol you left me and I walking downstairs and he had my Mother's things in his dirty hands and then he started coming towards me and I was so scared, so I shot him. I shot him and killed him and buried him underneath the arbor and I'm not sorry I did it either, I don't care if you think me terrible, but I would do it again. I would do it again in an instant."

"Shhh, it's alright," he soothed her. "You had to protect yourself, I cringe at the thought of what might have happened to you if you hadn't. You didn't do anything wrong and I'm proud of you for shooting the Yankee," Rhett told her.

"Really?" she asked tearfully.

"Really," he reassured her. "And I'm so sorry you have had to go through all this, but I can promise you that now that I am here I will do everything that I can to help you."

"Thank you," Scarlett said as she tried to catch her breath as she started to calm down. "Rhett?" she asked looking up at him.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad that you're here."

Rhett didn't respond, but gently placed her head back on his shoulder as he continued to rub her back. It wasn't overly long before her sniffles subsided and turned into deep even breaths and he knew she had fallen asleep. Slowly, he shifted her in his arms and carried her up the stairs and to her room. He carefully removed her worn slippers and placed her on the bed and pulled to the covers up to her shoulders.

The light from the full moon came flooding through the window and landed on her face giving her skin an angelic glow despite her swollen eyes and tear stained cheeks. He stood there watching her sleep for a moment before he leaned forward, placed a soft kiss on her forehead and went back to his own room for what he knew would continue to be a sleepless night.


	4. Not The Marrying Kind

A/N And here is chapter four . . . I hope you all enjoy!

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As a few days turned into a week, which turned into two, which turned into a month, which then in turn became several, Rhett became an integrated and invaluable member of the household.

Neither Rhett nor Scarlett ever mentioned their conversation in the parlor the night Rhett arrived, but he kept his promise in that he did do everything he could do to help lift the burden that she was carrying on her shoulders. In fact, the day soon came where Scarlett couldn't remember how she had ever properly functioned without him there and she was shocked when she realized that she could consider him her best friend and confidant.

As they worked side by side and shoulder to shoulder in both the physical labor involved in the upkeep of Tara, as well as the problem solving and brainstorming required in keeping the plantation afloat, she found them becoming closer and more comfortable around each other than they had ever been in Atlanta. When she thought about this change in their relationship she simply concluded that it must be that it was simply impossible to hold onto the pretensions and games they played during the war, when they had seen each other at their worst, filthy and tired after hard days work in the fields. She then dismissed it, never bothering to think on the subject again.

And while they still bickered about anything and everything, there was no longer the underlying maliciousness on Rhett's part and grudges held on Scarlett's part rarely lasted more than a few hours or even a few minutes, while both of them enjoyed the mental stimulation the other provided. Scarlett never even noticed that she always seemed to spend the rare moments of time where she wasn't working in Rhett's presence, even if it was just bringing her sewing into the room he was playing with Wade and Beau in. Just as she also didn't notice how her mood invariably improved as her tension and stress levels lowered as he lightened her burden.

Truly, the whole household was grateful for his arrival, and not just for the effect he had on Scarlett's mood, or the taking up of more than his share of the physical labor around Tara, lightening the responsibilities of everyone else. He seemed to posses an unending source of good humor and never ran out of stories to regale the other occupants of Tara with after dinner, a favorite past time of Wade's as he would sit in Rhett's lap, listening with rapt attention.

Melanie, Suellen and Careen became even more grateful for his comforting and protective presence, when soldiers marching home from war starting making Tara a regular stop on their journey home. While none of the women would ever dream of turning away a soldier in need, like Scarlett grumbled about wanting to do, all three of them slept better with strange men sleeping on the parlor rug, knowing Rhett was just down the hall. Eventually, even Mammy quit her muttering about his presence.

Soldiers had been passing through for several months before a familiar face, in the form of Frank Kennedy, came knocking on Tara's door, seeking a little more than the standard hot meal and place to sleep for a night.

"What are you so happy about?" Rhett asked Scarlett, watching her from the corner of his eye as they walked out to the fields one morning to begin their day of work.

"What, can't I just be happy for no reason?" Scarlett responded, looking up into Rhett's face which held an expression which told her exactly what he thought about that answer. "Alright, alright," she laughed good-humoredly, "Mr. Kennedy asked to speak with me after breakfast this morning."

"And..." Rhett prompted, setting the bag of tools he was carrying down on the ground.

"And, he has finally gotten around to asking for Suellen's hand," she told him with a smile, as she took the hoe he was offering her.

"I didn't realize that your sister's happiness meant so much to you," he teased, knowing very well that that wasn't the reason for her glee.

"Fiddle dee dee," Scarlett replied flippantly, "I could care less about her happiness. I'm just glad that she is going to be taken off of my hands. It's not as if she pulls her weight around here and with her gone it will mean one less mouth that we have to feed."

Rhett laughed boisterously at her blunt honesty as they both set into their work aerating the soil. "So your sister if finally going to make an honest man out of old Frank," he said after a moment of working in silence.

"Yes, it seems so," she agreed with a wry smile. "I just feel sorry for him that he is going to have marry Sue to save himself from being an old maid in breeches."

"An old maid in breeches?" Rhett repeated with a smirk. "I don't think I have ever heard that term before."

"Well, it's true," Scarlett responded unapologetically. "I never felt that it was fair that if a woman doesn't get married she is considered an old maid and looked down upon, but that there is nothing wrong with a man not getting married. In my opinion some men are just as much of an old maid as some women."

"Would you consider me an old maid in breeches?" Rhett asked, glancing up at her inquisitively as he worked.

"Of course not," Scarlett replied, laughing at the suggestion.

"Then what's the difference then between me and Frank?" he questioned, curious to see Scarlett's reasoning.

"Well," she said, pausing in her work to think a moment, "I suppose that you two are just different. You've made a choice not to get married, even though you could have anytime you wanted to. Where as Frank has had to resort to Suellen, who is just scared of becoming an old maid herself."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in my marriageability," he joked.

"You could be married if you wanted to be," Scarlett insisted. "You could have married that girl from the buggy accident in Charleston."

"But that doesn't work into your theory, because we would have been forced into that marriage," he pointed out.

"Well Rhett, I am sure that there are a number of girls that would have married you since then if you had asked them," she said, obviously tired of the subject as she dug her hoe into the ground with a new vigor.

"Yes, but then you forget the scandal of the aforementioned buggy incident, which tarnished my reputation forever, what well brought up, self respecting, proper young lady would even allow me to call on her?" Rhett challenged with twinkling eyes.

Scarlett froze for a moment, knowing that snide comment was directed at her, before turning around slowly, her green eyes blazing, as she glared at Rhett who too stopped working for the moment.

"It is too hot out here for me to argue with you, so I will say this once," she said wiping the sweat of her brow. "You know just as well as I do that you are rich, handsome, and can be more charming than should be allowed when it suits you. That, combined with your fame as a blockade runner during the war could have repaired your reputation if you had chosen to do so. Good Lord, you have made it so that I put up with you and you have given me reason, on several occasions, to hate you forever. If you, Rhett Butler, are not married, it's because you have chosen not to be."

Rhett simply smirked in a way that always irritated Scarlett and she let out a frustrated sigh as they both went back to their work.

"Why?" Scarlett asked after a moment, not looking up from what she was doing.

"Why what?"

"Why aren't you married?" she clarified, glancing up at him from the corner of her eye.

"What a personal question," he admonished jokingly.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want too," she replied quickly, embarrassed at her forwardness.

"I suppose it's the same reason I have told you before," he told her, "I'm just not a marrying man."

"But why?" she continued to press, forgetting her previous embarrassment. "You would make a wonderful father, Wade and Beau both adore you. Don't you ever get tired of living in hotel rooms, wandering from city to city without a home and family to call your own?"

When Rhett didn't reply right away, Scarlett turned to look at him and saw that he had stopped working and was standing still, with his face hard, but stonily blank. Scarlett feared she had gone to far and was about to apologize, but then Rhett's expression softened and he spoke as he resumed working.

"I suppose that the idea of a home and family can seem appealing at times, but I'm not just going to get married to someone just to get that," he told her with an honesty in his voice that Scarlett was surprised to hear. "If I was to ever get married, it would be to a woman that I love, and it will take a very special and unique woman to make me fall in love and willing to quit my roaming ways. And of course she would have to love me as well, and not for my - what did you say? - money, looks and charm, that makes even you put up with me," he said looking at her out of the corner of his eye. "No, my wife would have to do more than put up with me, she would have to know me and still love me, all of me even the scandalous, blackguard, caddish parts of me, because I don't plan on changing any time soon."

Scarlett considered this for half a moment. "That's quite a romantic notion," she commented.

"I suppose it is," Rhett admitted. "I suppose you never considered me such an idealist."

"No I don't suppose I ever did."

"So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"When do you plan on marrying again?" he asked, turning the tables.

"I don't," she told him plainly.

"And why is that?"

"Well," she said after thinking a moment. "I guess I'm not just the marrying sort either."

"I don't believe that. You, Scarlett O'Hara, were born to be married," he said with a laugh.

"No, I don't like being married and I don't plan to do it again," she said candidly.

"Well how could you tell? You were only married for two weeks before he went off and got himself killed. Besides, look who you were married to, it's no wonder you didn't enjoy it," he remarked in a tone that insinuated something that brought even more color to Scarlett's already sunburnt cheeks.

"I was married long enough to know that I don't enjoy it," she insisted, refusing to meet his gaze. "I don't want to have to answer to someone for the rest of my life, I like my independence thank you. As a widow out of mourning I can go about my business unescorted and no one will look twice at me. Besides I don't want anymore children so what do I need to be married for? I mean, I love Wade, but it took me four years to see him as anything more that a nuisance, I don't see the need for more."

"I think you just need to find the right man. One that will take care of you the way you deserve to be taken care of, but still allow you the independence you desire. I also think you would enjoy being married more if you actually loved your husband and of course it would help if he loved you as well. And not love you like the departed Mr. Hamilton thought he loved you, the southern belle facade you so often wear, but the real you, the Irish tempered, bowl throwing you," Rhett said with a smirk.

"Why must you always bring that up?" Scarlett asked with a resigned sigh. "And according to your reasoning, I never will get married again, since you are the only one that knows and accepts, what you consider, the 'real' me. With the requirements you put on a marriage I don't see either of us getting married as you described people that simply don't exist."

Rhett looked at her for a long moment with a queer look in his eyes that she would have seen had she cared to turn around. He gave an almost silent sigh before finally speaking, "Then I suppose we are both doomed to wander this world alone."

"I suppose so."

* * *

A/N So...what did you all think? Chapter five is already done, it just needs to be edited so if you all give me some incentive, I'll try to post again before I go out of town this weekend... 


	5. Lovely Day For A Swim

A/N I really like this chapter and I hope you all will to so here is chapter five for your reading pleasure...

* * *

Scarlett sat back on her heels and wiped the sweat off her brow with the back of her hand. As she did so, she could feel the dirt and dust that clung to her like a thin film, scratch across her skin.

She was out in the far garden by herself digging up sweet potatoes for dinner, having delegated the other members of the household to different tasks. Placing the last potato in her basket, she stood placing her hands on her lower back, hearing it crack as a result of crouching over for so long. She turned to make her way back to the house so that she could start her mending, when a flash of light caught her eye.

She turned back to find where the light was coming from, when she realized that it wasn't a light, but the reflection of the sun off the surface of the pond that was recessed just enough into the woods that it wasn't visible from the fields.

A rare smile spread across her face as she walked towards the pond and recalled summer days long past when Pa would tell all three girls to put on their oldest cotton dresses, have a picnic basket full of watermelon and mason jars of lemonade made up, and took them all swimming in that very pond, much to the dissatisfaction of Mammy who insisted that little ladies did not swim. But Gerald would just laugh good naturedly at Mammy's protruding lip and told her in his Irish brogue a little water never hurt anyone.

Careen being the baby and much younger than her, was content to spend her time splashing around in the shallows, while Suellen would only ever go in up to her ankles before going to spend the rest of the afternoon in the shade. But she, on the other hand, loved the water and could always be found swimming around the deep end with Pa or diving off of the big rock on the other end of the pool.

Scarlett stood at the edge of the water reminiscing, and thinking how nice it would be to feel the cool water against her hot sweaty skin.

She gave a nervous glance over her shoulder, half expecting Mammy to be there, having read her thoughts, to tell her that proper ladies do not go swimming at all, let alone swimming by themselves in their under things.

"Oh fiddle dee dee," Scarlett scolded herself aloud. "No one can see me out here and I've finished my work for today and the sewing can keep for later. Besides, what they don't know wont hurt them."

However, what Scarlett didn't know, as she started to unbutton her old calico, was that there was one member of the household that did know what she was doing. But she was correct in thinking that what she was doing certainly didn't hurt him.

After carefully removing her shoes and draping her dress over a low branch, she walked towards the edge of the water telling herself that she would only go in to her knees. Once she reached her self imposed limit, she leaned over to splash some water on her face.

"It's a lovely day for a swim," a deeply amused voice boomed from the edge of the woods.

Scarlett let out a startled shriek as she quickly righted herself and spun around to find the owner of the voice. However mid-spin she stepped on a mossy rock causing her to loose her balance and fall backwards into the pond with an almighty splash.

Rhett emerged from the woods dropping the firewood he was gathering next to her basket of sweet potatoes, laughing harder than he had in years. He didn't think it was possible to laugh harder than he already was, but when he turned around and saw Scarlett sitting waist deep in water completely soaked, spiting out water and trying to push the dripping hair that had fallen out of her bun off of her shocked face, he had to grab onto a tree for support to keep from falling over as tears leaked from his eyes.

"You vile cad, you low-down scoundrel, you hateful–!"

Rhett just held up a hand and continued to laugh. "Stop your screeching my pet, you sound just like the wet cat you look like."

Scarlett's eyes widened in indignation and growled through clenched teeth, "Oh I hate you Rhett Butler, I will hate you until the day I die!"

"Oh Scarlett, surely not until the day you die," Rhett said clutching his heart trying to look deeply injured by her words, but failing miserably as the mirth in his eyes and the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth completely ruined the effect.

He walked over to her and extended his hand to help her up. He was still laughing so hard that he didn't see the mischievous glint in her eye as she took his offered hand. He stopped laughing however as he felt Scarlett shift her weight, and catching him off guard, pull him down into the water.

Now it was Scarlett's turn to laugh at the surprised expression on Rhett's face, but it was only a moment before Rhett recovered.

"Now Scarlett, if you wanted me to come swimming with you that badly all you had to do was ask."

Scarlett just smiled, happy to know she had finally gotten one over on Rhett, even if it was only for a moment as she scrambled up and started wading towards the deeper water, figuring that now that she was wet she might as well enjoy a swim. Quickly deciding that swimming with Scarlett O'Hara was not an opportunity that he was about to pass up, Rhett walked to where Scarlett had left her clothes and took off his shoes, socks, and shirt.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked incredulously when she turned around to see Rhett unbuttoning his shirt.

"I'm taking my shirt off, which is now wet and now needs try dry thanks to you," Rhett said with a smile. "But don't worry, I don't like to swim in a shirt anyways."

"But it isn't proper," Scarlett sputtered.

"Considering you have a son and were a nurse during the War, I find it hard to believe that you have never seen a man without his shirt on," Rhett laughed. "Besides my darling little hypocrite, aren't we way past propriety considering you were the one decided to take a swim in nothing, but your now very wet shimmy?" Rhett asked letting his eyes roam down.

Scarlett followed his gaze and saw that her chemise was now clinging to her very suggestively and was now practically see through. She quickly dipped beneath the murky water so that only her shoulders and head were exposed causing Rhett to laugh even harder.

"Don't be so modest Scarlett, you don't have anything I haven't seen before."

Scarlett could feel the blush spreading across her cheeks and dove under water to hide it. Rhett actually became worried for a moment as he waited for Scarlett to resurface as she had been under for so long. He swam to the deep end of the pool keeping an eye out for her the whole time. He couldn't contain a small gasp when she popped up right in front of him.

"Hello," she said, treading water as she took the pins out of her hair.

"Well aren't you the little mermaid," Rhett said with a smile as watched her hair flow down her back, he had never seen her with it down before and he was surprised to see just how long and thick it really was.

"Mer-what?"

"Mermaid," he repeated. "They are half women, half fish and live in the ocean."

"Do they actually exist?" she asked skeptically.

"Sailors usually see them when they have been at sea too long without any female company, so I am in the line of thinking that they are simply the product a lonely man's overactive imagination."

"Did you ever see a mermaid Rhett?" Scarlett asked coquettishly.

"Who said I ever got that lonely," Rhett teased back, unable to tell her that usually during his blockading days it was she that he was plagued with thoughts of when he got lonely those long nights at sea.

"I suppose that the mighty Rhett Butler is above such basic emotions," Scarlett retorted sarcastically as she swam past him to put her hair pins on the large flat boulder behind him.

Scarlett's words hit closer to home than he would like to admit, but he forgot about them when he saw her climbing out of the water onto the same boulder she had just placed her pins on.

"Where are you going?" he asked taking in the sight of her standing there in her wet chemise, which apparently she either forgot about or didn't seem bother her anymore. He concluded that it was probably a little bit of both options.

"Move," she commanded simply, waving him off to the side. Once he had obliged her request, she dove prettily into the water.

"Now I feel like I should be more surprised," Rhett said as she shook her head back and forth to clear her ears of water, "but where did you learn these rather unladylike skills."

Scarlett usually would have taken this as an insult, but she didn't hear any mocking in his tone, only honest curiosity.

"Pa taught me when I was younger. He said that everyone should learn how to swim and dive since you never knew if it could come in handy one day and it could possibly save your life," Scarlett explained, floating lazily.

"Your father is a wise man," Rhett answered, as he knew that being a strong swimmer had certainly saved his life a couple of times. Although he didn't think that Scarlett would ever find herself in the same kind of situations as he was in when this happened.

"However, I was the only one who actually enjoyed it and learned. Careen can swim a little, but Suellen never took to it. But Pa called me his little water baby."

"I can imagine your mother and Mammy loved that," Rhett joked.

"Oh they would have been appalled if they had known that I can swim like this. They thought that Pa was just letting us splash in the shallows a little bit and disagreed with that. Could you imagine if Mammy saw me now?" Scarlett asked with a shudder and a laugh.

"Yes I'm sure she would disapprove most whole heartedly," Rhett said also laughing, but more at the fact that Scarlett seemed more concerned that Mammy would be upset with the fact that she knew how to swim, than who she was swimming with.

Rhett followed Scarlett's example and climbed up the boulder so that he could dive off. Watching him stand at the edge of the rock Scarlett couldn't help but notice how handsome Rhett was as the water droplets glimmered off of his toned and tanned chest and how his muscles flexed as he pushed a lock of hair out of his eye only to have it fall right back to where it was, giving him a rather rakish look. Rhett was right when he said she had seen plenty of men without shirts on, but those were all soldiers that were half starved and diseased, never with the physique of the man in front of her, and while she was sure such thoughts were positively sinful, she liked what she saw.

She was thinking about what her mother would say if she knew she was entertaining such thoughts, so she didn't notice that Rhett had dove in and had been underwater for quite a while. To say that she was surprised when she felt something grab her ankles and pull her underwater would be an understatement in the largest degree.

She was still screaming and sputtering water when Rhett finally let go and they both resurfaced.

"That wasn't funny Rhett," Scarlett said angrily splashing him in the face.

"It was for me," Rhett replied splashing her back inciting a splashing war that had them both laughing. As Scarlett tried to escape and Rhett chasing her down, they both thought that this was the most fun that either of them had in years.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rhett looked at Scarlett as she laid on her stomach in the sun, both of them laying on the same boulder they were jumping off of earlier, so they could dry off before they went back to the house. Her long hair spilled down her back and as she rested her face on her delicate hands. Her facial features were softer and more relaxed than he had ever seen them and when her jaw wasn't set and brow wasn't furrowed she was even more beautiful than he already thought her. Her breathing was so soft and even, that for a moment he thought that she had fallen asleep.

"Have you found what you're looking for yet?" Scarlett asked with her eyes still closed.

"What?"

"You've been watching me pretty intently for the last 10 minutes, I was just wondering if you have found what you are looking for yet?" Scarlett asked again still not opening her eyes.

Rhett rolled on to his back and placed his hands behind his head, looking up at the clouds not quite sure what to say. He didn't want to admit it, but he was thrown and for the first time didn't know how to answer Scarlett.

When Rhett didn't say anything Scarlett rolled onto her side facing him and propped her head on one hand. This time it was she who was watching him. "Well?"

"Well, what?" Rhett responded, not meeting her gaze.

"Are you going to tell me why you always watch me when I'm not looking?" Scarlett asked with honest curiosity.

Rhett chuckled deep in his chest. "My my, aren't we full of our self," Rhett mocked, "I assure you that not everyone is always looking at you my dear."

"But you are," Scarlett insisted, "and don't you deny it. I can always tell when you are looking at me. I can feel your eyes on me, it used to bother me, but now I'm just curious as to what is so interesting or what it is that you are looking for."

"Is that right," Rhett asked, wondering where she was going with this.

Scarlett nodded, "I can always tell when you are watching me, just like I can always feel you enter a room, even before I actually see you."

"So when did you become a Seer?" Rhett teased, uncomfortable with this line of conversation.

Scarlett laughed lightly as she rolled onto her back and stretched her arms above her head arching her back completely unaware of the sight she was presenting Rhett with through her still slightly damp chemise. "Oh I'm no Mammy Jincey, you're the only one I can feel enter a room." She laughed again, "That should be a nice stroke to your already overinflated ego."

Rhett had to force his body not to betray him as he watched Scarlett looking so enticing. "Who is Mammy Jincey?" Rhett asked, eager to change the subject.

"Oh she was an old darky that used to tell fortunes at barbeques before the war," she explained. Scarlett didn't know if it was the warm sun that was making her so complacent or if it was just the whole relaxed attitude of the afternoon, but she wasn't quite sure why she was telling Rhett this, but found herself talking quite easily about her life before the war and before she met him, something she never did. "I can still remember the last fortune she ever told me."

"And what was that?" Rhett asked curiously, but gently. He was entranced by the look that had overtaken Scarlett's countenance as she looked back and shared her memories of times long past. Something he was not usually privy to.

"She told me I was going to marry a man with jet black hair and a black moustache."

Rhett couldn't hold in a chuckle when he heard that, "And what did you think about that?"

"Well," Scarlett said with a devilish smile, "I told her that was impossible because I didn't like black haired men. And to think," she said as her eyes flicked up to his hair, "I already knew that even before I met you."

"Ah, so I guess I never even stood a chance," Rhett said with a laugh.

"No, I guess not," Scarlett agreed with matching merriment.

"You preferred gentleman of the blonde haired variety," Rhett said before he could stop himself.

Her eyes, which had been dancing joyously a moment before, suddenly went dull. "Yes, I suppose I did. Now it's getting late and we should be heading back before they send out a search party for us," she said as she stood and walked to where she had left her clothes and quickly started making herself presentable.

Rhett sat there for a moment watching her button up her dress and then start putting up her hair, silently kicking himself for not being able to keep his mouth shut and putting an end to the playful air that was existing between them. They had managed not to discuss Ashley Wilkes once since he had arrived at Tara and he had to choose this moment to end that trend. He hadn't even realized he was staring until Scarlett spoke.

"See there you go again," she said turning around to face him, "_now_ will you tell me what you are looking for?"

Rhett just chuckled mirthlessly as he stood up and slipped his feet into his boots and buttoned up his shirt, "I'm not looking for anything my pet and even if I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you what it was."

Scarlett looked at him with her head cocked to one side, her lips pursed and her eyes slightly narrowed. Looking as if she was debating with herself on what she should or shouldn't say.

"Well," she finally said, "let me know what it is when you find it."

Rhett looked her up and down for a long moment, when he found nothing but honest sincerity he conceded, "Alright my dear Mrs. Hamilton, that's a deal."

Scarlett smiled and a twinkle came back to her green eyes, "I look forward to it Captain Butler."

* * *

A/N So what did you all think? I know this wasn't a terribly plot driven chapter but I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, I hope you had as much fun reading it... 


	6. Another Starving Scarecrow

A/N No, it isn't an illusion… and contrary to popular belief, I am as a matter of fact, not dead! I actually wrote another chapter to this story! Scarlett and Rhett seem to be getting on far to well in my opinion and what's a good story without any conflict so what do you say we throw a wrench in the mix? Oh, and I snagged a couple details directly from chapter 30 of the novel so there are parallels, so know I'm not trying to pass them off as my own…

For the most stupendous chick I know, because you _are _in fact made of win…

* * *

"A letter came from Atlanta today," Melanie announced conversationally one mild September evening over supper.

"Well don't keep us in suspense Ms. Melly," Rhett teased gently. "Who was it from?"

Melanie graced Rhett with a soft smile as she answered his question. "It's from Suellen. She wrote to inform us that she and Mr. Kennedy have settled in nicely at Aunt Pitty's and that she is enjoying living in Atlanta."

Scarlett rolled her eyes and Rhett had to stifle a chuckle. He knew for a fact that old Frank had wanted to wait until he had established himself and his store in Atlanta and to have a home before he married Suellen. But true to form, Scarlett didn't care what he wanted and had practically shoved her sister out the door and into his lap. She had stated in no uncertain terms that there was no reason to wait as her sister wasn't getting any younger and that if he was concerned about living arrangements that they could stay with Aunt Pittypat for the interim.

"She also asked you, Scarlett, if you could suggest a good seamstress," Melanie continued.

Scarlett, who hadn't been listening until she heard her name, scoffed haughtily at the request. "She doesn't want my opinion on seamstresses. She just wants to rub it in my face that she is getting new dresses and I've been wearing the same calico for heaven only knows how long."

"Surely your sister would never be so vindictive," Melanie contradicted gently. "You just lived in Atlanta so long during the war and was always so well dressed, I'm sure she just wanted to know who you went to."

"And if anyone at this table believes that, I'll eat my hat," Scarlett declared. A quick glance around the room told her she the was correct, even kind and gentle Carreen was biting her lip to avoid smiling as she purposely avoided her sisters gaze. "She could just as easily get that information from Aunt Pitty or any of the other ladies in the sewing circles that I'm sure she has already inserted herself into. But," she paused, "if she really wants my opinion, you tell her I said to go see Mrs. Hartley."

"But Scarlett dear, Mrs. Hartley is almost blind," Melanie reminded her.

The smirk that crossed Scarlett's lips stated that she had not forgotten this fact and caused Rhett to chuckle under his breath, drawing her attention.

"But enough about Sue," Scarlett declared decisively. "Rhett, I didn't get a chance to talk to you about it this afternoon, how did the trip into town go this morning?"

"Well Scarlett, as you know they've got the new gin out there in Fayetteville, but are employing capitalism at its best and they're charging an exorbitant amount to use it. However, I talked to Liam and he said that if we are willing to lend him one of the horses and the wagon for two weeks, he'll cut the price by a quarter," Rhett revealed taking a healthy bite of his sweet potatoes. "I told him that I agreed to his terms but that I would have to run it by you before I accepted formally."

"That sounds acceptable to me," Scarlett replied agreeably. "If you want to go close the deal tomorrow and take the first batch of cotton with you, we should have another one ready by the time we get the wagon back."

Rhett nodded his compliance and turned to converse with Carreen allowing Scarlett a moment to observe him silently. He had yet to mention anything indicating his future plans as to when he was planning leave Tara and she was careful to avoid the topic herself, fearful that he would take it as some sort of indication that she wanted him to leave.

Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder just why in fact he chose to stay at all. It had been months since he had arrived seeking asylum from the Yankees, surely they had ceased their active searching for him. She figured that as long as he avoided Atlanta it would be quite simple for him to take the train home to Charleston and then onto whichever port of call he desired. But even as this thought flitted through her mind, she would pray fervently that he would remain here with her at Tara indefinitely, only to scold herself in the same mental breath about having such traitorous desires.

"What do you think Scarlett?" Rhett asked, jolting Scarlett out of her musings.

"About what?" she asked, hoping he would repeat himself.

"About what we were just discussing," Rhett replied innocently, knowing very well that she hadn't been listening.

Scarlett was irritated at him for putting her on the spot and the amusement in his eyes and the smirk gracing his lips made her feel as if he could somehow read her thoughts and knew just where her reflections had taken her. However, a knock on the door saved her from having to admit she was woolgathering during the evening meal.

"It's a bit late for visitors," Carreen mentioned, concern lighting her eyes.

"It's probably just another soldier looking for a place to stop for the night," Rhett said dismissively, taking the last bite of his meal.

"Gods Nightgown, not another one!" Scarlett exclaimed.

"I'll go answer the door," Melanie announced quickly, pushing her chair back from the table and hurrying towards the entry.

"I thought we were done having to feed and shelter those starving scarecrows. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole confederate army has slept on the parlor floor at some point," Scarlett grumbled to Rhett's amusement. "Wade, would you run to the kitchen and ask Dilcey to scrape up another plate. I'm sure he is hungry, they always are. They never think that we might need the food to feed our–"

However, Scarlett's ranting was interrupted by a shrill shriek from Melly. Those in the dining room froze for a fraction of a second before everyone scrambled to get to Melly, knocking over chairs in the process as they ran to the front door.

Scarlett who was closest to the dining room door made it first, stopping short in the foyer, causing Rhett, who was only a half step behind, to nearly run her over. Scoping her up before she could hit the floor, Rhett momentarily forgot the very reason that he had plowed into Scarlett as he quickly checked her over to make sure he didn't hurt her. It wasn't until she let out one breathy word that his eyes snapped up to the cause of the commotion.

"_Ashley_."

She breathed the name so softly that had he not been standing right over her, he never would have heard the seeming benediction cross her lips. As it was, he heard her all to clearly and it was all he could do not to scoff in disgust. Truly he was surprised that she didn't push Melanie out of the way in order to throw herself into her 'beloved's' arms. Instead she stood motionless as she watched couple's reunion.

"There is someone you need to meet," Melanie told Ashley blushingly as she stepped out of her husband's embrace to take Beau from Carreen. "This is Beauregard Charles Wilkes, your son."

Ashley's eyes lit up with unbridled joy and he picked up his son with shaky hands. "Oh Melly," he breathed reverently, uncaring of the crowd that had gathered in the foyer, "he's perfect."

The trance that Scarlett had found herself locked in from the moment she had seen Ashley standing but a few feet in front of her was suddenly broken and she refused to watch the happy homecoming for a moment longer.

"Wade it's time for bed," Scarlett told the little boy who was currently hiding behind her skirts, staring shyly at the man who he had only met once over three ago and therefore had no recollection of.

Although he knew he was usually allowed to sit with his Uncle Rhett for a while after dinner, the little boy heard the sharpness in his mother's tone and wisely chose not to protest and hurried to follow her up the stairs, only stopping when the strange fair haired man addressed him personally.

"I can't believe this is the same Wade Hampton," Ashley greeted the boy with a fond smile. "Last time I saw you, you were but knee high to a grasshopper. Do you remember me? I'm your Uncle Ashley."

"Wade, I said its time for bed," Scarlett snapped before he could answer causing Wade to scramble up the stairs in fear of further reprimand. Feeling guilty for taking her temper out on her son she continued more evenly, "You can talk to Uncle Ashley in the morning."

Rhett watched curiously as Scarlett moved out of sight into Wade's room lingering in the foyer for a moment before shaking his head slightly and joining the others in the drawing room where the welcome home celebrations were being moved to.

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A/N I know this one is a bit on the shorter side, but this one is more transitionary and the next one is just about done as well so it should be up soon… so let me know what you think? Yay, nay, worth coming back too?


	7. Who Do I Belong To?

A/N Here's the new chapter, I had to work this chapter for a while until I felt okay with it enough to post it, since this chapter is kinda important, so I hope you all enjoy… big developments in this one ; )

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Rhett watched passively as Ashley and Melanie said their goodnights at the end of Ashley's first day home and headed up the stairs. He glanced over at Scarlett who watched with a sad, lost expression, disappearing out the back door as soon as the recently united couple were out of sight.

Expecting her to return in a moment or two he became worried as the time passed and decided to go after her. Walking out onto the back porch he looked around, surprised when she wasn't right outside the door. He was about to go back inside and see if she didn't sneak past him when he saw some movement out of the corner of his eye. When he looked closely he saw her under the big oak tree sitting facing away from the house on the swing he had made for Wade a few weeks prior.

Crossing the lawn, Rhett moved towards her, surprised when he heard her sniffling. This was only the second time he had seen her cry since he had come to Tara and a sizable part of him was angry that it was over her love for the ever honorable Ashley Wilkes.

"Do you really find the thought of your beloved Ashley and Miss Melly going to bed together that upsetting?" Rhett asked evenly, sitting down on the wide swing next to her, facing the opposite direction.

Scarlett let out a dry sob at his words, making one portion of Rhett feel bad for making her feel worse and another part of him angrier that she loved him so much that she got so upset over this.

Scarlett on the other hand knew he was mocking her and wanted to tell him to go to Halifax, but wanted to talk to somebody more. "No, that's not why I'm upset," she snapped at him. "Well maybe that's partly it, but only part."

"Pray explain Mrs. Hamilton," Rhett said sardonically.

"Rhett, don't you start with me, I'm not in the mood. Do you want to hear what I have to say or don't you?"

"I apologize Scarlett," he said honestly as he really did want to know what was bothering her. "Please continue."

"I talked to Ashley tonight…" she started trailing off for a moment.

Rhett knew that Ashley had pulled Scarlett aside after she returned from putting Wade to bed, a task that he did not fail to notice took three times as long as normal. Just as he also noticed that after the pair had returned from their sojourn in the office that Ashley looked mighty pleased with himself and Scarlett had been quiet and contemplative for the rest of the evening, not a usual state of being for the green eyed woman.

"He said he wanted to thank me for taking such good care of Melly and Beau for him," she continued slowly. "He told me that I am doing such a good job taking care of everyone and everything. He said that I am his brave little soldier. He told me that I am sweet and innocent and good and beautiful and strong and spirited and smart and all kinds of other things that I yearned to hear from him..."

Rhett tensed next to her but she was to deep in her own thoughts to notice. If Scarlett had cared to look she wouldn't have seen aloofness in his eyes, but a burning anger. Anger at Ashley for feeding into her infatuation and anger at her for believing it. He wanted to stand up and leave, he wanted to stop listening but he couldn't. Instead he just continued to listen as she continued to speak.

"...then do you know what he told me? He said, 'I know that I can count on you and that's why you are my precious Scarlett.' Then he gave me a kiss on the forehead and left the room. _His_ Scarlett, _his_ brave little soldier, _his_...like I belong to him...like I belong _with_ him..."

Scarlett fell silent for a spell giving Rhett the opportunity to decide that he couldn't take it anymore, he didn't want to sit here listening to Scarlett musing about her secret love affair and he was going to tell her so when she spoke again.

"But I don't," she said so softly that he wasn't sure he heard correctly.

"What was that Scarlett?"

"I don't, I don't belong _to_ him and I don't belong _with_ him," she bit out, staring into the darkness.

Rhett was shocked by her revelation and all of his anger transformed into disbelief. "How do you figure that," he asked gently, wanting to delve deeper into her new self discoveries and insight, something so rare for her.

"To belong to someone implies that they love you and care about you, that they will care _for_ you. And Ashley doesn't love me or care for me, I guess that he cares about me to a point, at least as much as that he cares if he is able to use me. Because that's what he did, he used me and my love for him to make me promise to care for his wife and child. How ridiculous is that?" she asked with a humorless laugh. "I never thought that I was that stupid. Which shows again that he doesn't love me, he doesn't even know me. I'm not smart or brave or sweet or innocent or beautiful at least not anymore, not with my dirty hair and callused hands and sun burnt face. I'm not brave, I'm so scared of what's going to happen to my family and my home. I'm not strong, I am so tired of it all. And I'm certainly not sweet or innocent, if he knew the things that I have done in my life, he would never say those kind things about me. I can't even be myself around him, I could never tell him the things that I can tell you Rhett. He knows Melly, he loves her, Melly belongs to him not me."

Taking her cheek in hand, he turned her face so that she was forced to look him in the eye, as much as she could in the dim moonlit night, as he responded to her statements.

"You are right about Ashley not knowing the real you Scarlett," he began seriously, not letting her turn away when she tried too, "but that doesn't mean that he is wrong about all of your characteristics. My pet, you are smart, you have managed to be resourceful enough to pull your family through these hard times. And you are brave and strong, because even if you are scared and tired you still face every day knowing that you will do whatever you have to do to survive. Being sweet and innocent are luxuries that not all of us have, you gave up your innocence so that you could do what you have to do so that others like Melly or even Wade can keep theirs, but you still are sweet and innocent in many but just different ways. And my dear Scarlett, you are certainly still beautiful, it takes a lot more than pink cheeks and callused hands to take your beauty away from you," with this he took her small hands in his own, turned it over and tenderly kissed each of the calluses she had earned honestly by caring for what she loved, Tara.

Rhett's kind words in which she sensed no trace of his usual mocking, were too much for Scarlett to take and she started sobbing in earnest as she closed the distance between them.

"Oh Rhett!" she sobbed into his broad chest, "I just want to belong to someone. I just want someone to take care of me for once. I'm tired of being in charge, I'm tired of being the one everyone looks to for answers. I don't belong to anyone, I now know that I never have and I don't think that I ever will. I just want to belong to someone who can protect me and can take me away from here. I just want to belong."

Rhett held her, rubbing her back gently as he rocked her back and forth comfortingly and made nondescript soothing noises in her ear. For a moment he wanted to tell her that if she had taken him up on his offer to be his mistress they would both be far away right now, but he quickly dismissed that thought, knowing that was the last thing he should say. Another part of him wanted to tell her that she could belong to someone if she would just let herself. He wanted to tell her that he wanted nothing more than to take care of her and protect her and take her away from here.

When he noticed that she had stopped sobbing he pulled away from her so that he could look at her face. As he gazed at her watery eyes, flushed cheeks and disheveled hair he thought that he had never seen her look more vulnerable or innocent, yes innocent, as she did at that moment.

He almost confessed his feeling for her right then and there, but his pride stopped him short before he could speak. Instead he took her face in his hands, wiping away the tears with his thumbs and then placed a single tender, sweet, chaste kiss on her lips before leaning his forehead on hers, still cradling her face softly and caressing her cheeks with his thumbs.

Neither of them moved for a long moment, Scarlett was too shocked to do anything as she clutched onto his shirt desperately, as if she might drown in the swirling depths of her confused emotions if she let go. She didn't understand what was going on between them in that intimate moment, all she knew was that she had never experienced a kiss so pure in her life. Every other kiss she had ever had in her life was taken, or even stolen from her, but this one was given, there was no doubt about that. She didn't know what that meant, but she did know that in this moment she felt safer and more at peace than she had in a long time. Her mind started to form some kind of answer to her questions, but just before it was fully formed to a point that she could grasp hold of it enough to understand it, Rhett pulled away, taking her answers with him.

"It's cold out here Scarlett, you shouldn't be out her without a shawl. Mammy would skin me alive and serve me for dinner if you got sick and she found out that you were out here with me and I didn't make you go inside," Rhett teased her kindly, his voice huskier than normal.

"Oh fiddle dee dee Rhett, I'm fine," she said with a sniffle.

Rhett just pulled a worn handkerchief out of his pocket, and held it up to her nose for her to blow, which she did obediently.

"Seriously though Scarlett, you have had a trying night and should get some sleep. Didn't you want to walk the fence line and do repairs tomorrow?"

She nodded and stood ready to go back inside, "But I was thinking of asking Ashley to do it tomorrow. I figure that even he can handle that since you already cut the rails."

"Yes, I suppose he could," Rhett responded, only half listening.

Scarlett started to walk back up towards the house then stopped and turned to see that Rhett was still sitting on the swing. "Are you coming?" she asked curiously.

"I'll be along in a moment, I'm just going to stay out here a bit longer," he reassured her as he fervently wished he hadn't run out of cigars.

Scarlett just nodded and continued on her way. As Rhett watched her disappear into the house he let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe he had come so close to telling her how he really felt. He couldn't believe how badly he wanted to tell her that their was nothing else that he wanted than to belong to somebody else too and that somebody was her.

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A/N Soooo? What did you all think? A step in the right direction yes?


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